Hi all,
I'm currently writing a futuristic novella which I'm hoping submit to a publisher for an anthology. So there's obviously a deadline.
No problem. So far I've done everything by the book *winces at the pathetic, unintended pun*.
I researched, I came up with a (hopefully) exciting idea, and I got stuck in and wrote a decent chunk.
Conscious of the deadline, I plugged my achieved wordcount and the required wordcount into my nifty little spreadsheet, decided 1500 words a day wasn't asking too damn much of my muse, and checked how many days I'd need to finish. Excellent! My estimation had been bang-on, leaving me with plenty of time to edit and polish and ultimately decide whether or not I'd risk actually emailing it off or just chalk it up to experience.
And I'm pleased to say I've achieved the minimum wordcount required with a few days of my self-imposed deadline to spare.
So I should be patting myself on the back. I should be taking a day or two to catch up with other stuff that's been sadly neglected.... you know, folding washing, grocery shopping, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming the house and the like. I should be eagerly anticipating the next stage--reading through the manuscript, checking for plot holes, tying up loose ends, proofing and editing.
Only trouble with this most excellent scenario is that my characters have totally hijacked this story and they absolutely will not let me type The End.
Aaaargh!
When I hit 25,ooo words and no end was in sight, I shrugged and let it slide. Oh well, what's another day or two? I figured I'd sleep on it, dream up the perfect ending to my heroine's current predicament--which, by the way, I hadn't foreseen at all but damn it's good!--and wrap it up in a couple of pages. Or five.
Didn't happen.
I'm still merrily typing away....
And. There's. Still. No. End. In. Sight.
And I know, just know, that these guys are not gonna let me cop out and give them anything less than they deserve--not after everything I've put them through. A quick resolution, where everything falls into place before they achieve their HEA? No way. Not this hero and heroine. Nyuh uh. They're not gonna settle for anything less than a multi-chapter word-fest and if the poor sap pounding the keyboard doesn't like it, then that's just tough.
Sheesh! I'm warning you guys for the last time: this novella better not turn into a novel. Wrap it up or you'll be sorry!
And speaking of novels and wrapping things up, here's a question for you:
Have you ever been hijiacked by your characters? Or am I--as I'm beginning to suspect--certifiable?
:-)
M
8 comments:
If you're certifiable, then I am too ;) Good luck with wrapping it up!
Oh, Maree, welcome to my nightmare! Wicked Redemption was supposed to be 25k. 82,000 words later....
I'm in the process of separating a subplot that never should have been from the main story, and darling editor has promised I can write my evil goddesses story as a separate one, but I LOVED it as it was.
Freakin' muse.
If you figure out how to hog tie mouthy characters, I'll be the first in line to buy your technique!
I heard you're battling with characters behaving themselves - I've suffered the same, and read somewhere it's your right brain (creative side) warring with your left because it's bored. It wants fun, and it's going to take it out on your characters. The trick is to assure your right side it'll have its chance again after you're done writing what you need to write. --Stacey Goitia
Maree-
Sometimes a story has to be told the way it WANTS to be told, so just keep typing until you do finally reach The End. After that, you can either go back and edit it mercilessly, or expand it into a single title, but either way, you'll have the full story there on the page (er, the computer screen) to work with (and with all the elements that needed to be included)!
Sigh. I've been in your exact situation, so I know exactly what you're going through! Good luck :)
Leigh
I'd like to think this is a plotting vs. pantsing phenomenon, but my experiments show otherwise. I wonder if it's more a result of having experience with a particular length--the characters know that "really" they've got this much book / short story / Twitter line left. When you try a new form, you have to get used to the pacing that fits that length.
You definitely aren't certifiable. I've had times when I wanted to kill me characters in bloody, horriific ways because they just wouldn't behave. If they want to make it a novel, they'll make it a novel. No stopping them. Sorry. But I do hope they'll cooperate with you. Best of luck.
I had the story all plotted out, the characters set for their confrontation and HEA and one of the background characters kept telling me he was involved. Say what? You're color. You're background. No, he informed me, he was not background. He was colorful and I'd better listen. I listened. He was right and he made the story better, gave it an edge and some depth and it's now available on Amazon.com as of yesterday. Not only was the Past Imperfect, but the original plot was, too. Sometimes it's good to listen to characters when they talk.
LOL! Looks like I'm in excellent company, then, Katie *VBG*
Good grief Liane, your muse is evil! Or perhaps, just very clever ;-)
Hey, Stacey, that's a fascinating insight into left-brain right-brain interaction. Obviously gonna have to soothe my savage right side and dangle a big fat carrot -- make that chocolate bar -- in front of it.
Anne-Marie, I suspect that because I'm so darn pleased with this brand new paranormal hero I've devised, that right from the start, I thought he deserved a novel-length book! So I really wasn't being realistic when I decided to write him a novella... and now that's come back to bite me.
Lots of food for thought, here. And as Leigh and JM have said, you've gotta listen to your characters and tell the story the way it wants to be told. It sure worked for you, JM - congrats on your Amazon release!
I think I'm gonna have to plough on and reach the end regardless of self-imposed word-count limits and then decide.
Note to Maree's Muse and characters: could you have picked a worse time to do this to me??? Your timing sucks! LOL.
Post a Comment